Medical Cannabis Research

From a text Cannabinoids as Therapeutics edited by Dr. Raphael Mechoulam and published in 2005, we bring you this chapter written by Ethan Russo MD: “Cannabis in India: ancient lore and modern medicine”. read more…

This study published in the American Journal of Addiction in 2009, replicates a previously surprising finding that intermittent cannabis use is associated with improved retention in naltrexone treatment among opioid dependent patients, while both abstinence from cannabis and regular cannabis use during naltrexone treatment are associated with high dropout. read more…

Published in the November 2013 issue of European Neuropsychopharmacology, this review of the literature looked at CBD as a potential treatment for psychosis. Human studies found that THC and CBD have very distinct effects on several psychological and physiological parameters associated with psychosis. Evidence from several study domains suggests that CBD has some potential as an antipsychotic treatment. read more…

This study, from Louisiana State University and published in the journal Cell in November, 2013 showed that unwanted side effects of THC-Rich cannabis could be eliminated or reduced while retaining its beneficial effects by administering a COX-2 inhibitor or NSAID along with THC.read more…

The risks of driving under the influence of cannabis is hotly debated. This discussion paper, published in November 2011, states that legalizing marijuana reduces traffic fatalities. They explore possible reasons for this statistically significant observation. read more…

This study out of Spain and published in October 2013, confirms the antiproliferative and antiinvasive effects of CBD in two different glioma cell lines. Interestingly, these effects can also be extended to glioma cells that are well known to be D9-THC-resistant. This data adds further insights into CBD antitumor action, showing its ability to influence multiple cellular targets in the two cell lines with partial overlap. read more…

This study, published in 2013 in the American Journal of Medicine, looked at over 4500 patients over a five year period and found that cannabis use was associated with lower levels of fasting insulin and smaller waist circumference. “The most important finding is that current users of marijuana appeared to have better carbohydrate metabolism than nonusers,” says Murray Mittleman, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and the lead author of the study. “Their fasting insulin levels were lower, and they appeared to be less resistant to the insulin produced by their body to maintain a normal blood-sugar level.” read more…

In 2005, as published in the journal Neuropharmacology, researchers in Germany found pain relief in a synthetic cannabinoid called ajulemic acid. Synthetic modification of the THC metabolite THC-11-oic acid through replacement of the n-pentyl side chain with a dimethylheptyl group leads to the compound 1,1-dimethylheptyl-D8-THC-11-oic acid, named ajulemic acid (AJA) In preclinical studies AJA showed high analgesic potency comparable to morphine, as well as anti-allodynic and anti-inflammatory effects. AJA appears to have no detectable THC like psychoactive properties. read more…

The concomitant administration of various non-psychoactive plant cannabinoids demonstrates synergistic anti-cancer activity in human leukemia cells, according to preclinical trial data published online in the October 2013 journal Anticancer Research. They explored the activity of six cannabinoids, used both alone and in combination in leukemic cells. Cannabinoids were cytostatic and caused a simultaneous arrest at all phases of the cell cycle. read more…

From research out of Israel, and published in the October, 2013 issue of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, comes this controlled trial showing that a short course (8 weeks) of THC-rich cannabis produced significant clinical, steroid-free benefits to 10 of 11 patients with active Crohn’s disease, compared with placebo, without side effects. read more…